Generally, a fabricated article made from a polymeric material can become statically charged, and the surface can attract and hold charged particles such as dust in the air. In some cases an article can become damaged and/or otherwise devalued by the adhesion of electrostatically charged species. In other cases, such as in the packaging of powders, the powder can adhere to the packaging material. For preventing adhesion of charged particles, various approaches for preventing surface static charge buildup have been proposed and put into practical use. Antistatic agents can be incorporated into the composition of a molded article or an antistatic agent can be applied to the surface of an article as a way of preventing build-up of static charge on an article. Use of antistatic agents is not trouble-free. Materials that come in contact with the composition can become contaminated due to bleeding of the antistatic agent out of the composition and/or the antistatic effect can deteriorate with time. Permanent, non-diffusing antistatic agents avoid many of these problems.
Some types of antistatic agents do not function as well at low relative humidity. In these cases, a humectant, a substance that promotes the retention of moisture, may be used. A common polyol used as a humectant is glycerol, due to its low viscosity and ease of incorporation. See, e.g., JP H10-193495A, JP H11-077928, JP H08-134295, JP H10-060185, and JP H10-060186. However, due to its volatility it can cause problems of smoking during processing and/or formation of deposits.